When I buy a book on magic, I look for good material. But another thing I look for is ease of learning; I know everyone here has bought that one book where the explanation just wasn't clear. Something that I think can help a lot with this is having a book that looks really, really nice.

Having recently been impressed by Above the Fold by Rich Aviles, Reinventing the Real by Tyler Wilson and pretty much anything Vanishing Inc puts out, I'm looking for other examples of great design in magic books.

What do you guys think is the most well designed magic book (aesthetically pleasing, ease of use, etc)

This is an easy one, The Magic of Francis Carlyle (1975) is unlike any other magic book ever produced. The close-up pics are unbelievable, I wish every magic book looked like this. Nothing before or since even comes close. I see copies over on bookfinder.com but the good copies aren't cheap (I've got 4 copies myself because I'm just plain greedy).

I guess the best book I have is Abbott's Encyclopedia of Rope Magic. But for my learning style I much prefer a good video. I have some very good lecture notes from Harry Anderson - those are quite good, but I still prefer video.

I loved Joshua Jay's Complete Course. I wish that book had been around when I was first getting into magic. The instructions and photos were very clear, plus it came with a bonus dvd that explained a number of the effects.

It's a lot like a DVD, except the pictures don't move, it has a lot of words, it's printed on paper, and it's nothing at all like a DVD.

I'll second Paul Harris. I think his AoA series was the easiest read I've ever had. It was written in a simple, fun language without compromising on quality. I also liked how each effect was broken up into steps, making it easy to follow along with what he was writing.

It's a lot like a DVD, except the pictures don't move, it has a lot of words, it's printed on paper, and it's nothing at all like a DVD.

I'll second Paul Harris. I think his AoA series was the easiest read I've ever had. It was written in a simple, fun language without compromising on quality. I also liked how each effect was broken up into steps, making it easy to follow along with what he was writing.

I always forget about AoA. Brilliant, chatty sort of explanation. Lots of fun to read.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum